The present invention relates to video communication and, more particularly, to a system and method for video chat.
The World Wide Web of the Internet is the most successful distributed application in the history of computing. In the Web environment, client machines effect transactions to Web servers using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is a known Application protocol providing users access to files (e.g., text, graphics, images, sound, video, etc.) using a standard page description language known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML provides basic document formatting and allows the developer to specify xe2x80x9clinksxe2x80x9d to other servers and files. In the Internet paradigm, a network path to a server is identified by a so-called Uniform Resource Locator (URL) having a special syntax for defining a network connection. Use of an HTML-compatible browser (e.g., Netscape Navigator) at a client machine involves specification of a link via the URL. In response, the client makes a request to the server identified in the link and receives in return a document formatted according to HTML.
In this environment, a user has many options of how to communicate with others. One option is the use of electronic mail (email). Using email, a user is able to send messages to others users of the Internet anywhere a connection to the Internet can be established. Email generally allows a user to send typed messages and attachments, such as image files, or sound files. However, email does not allow constant interaction between users of the Internet. Similar to sending a letter, a user of email must wait for the intended email recipient to receive the message, compose a response, send the response, and then wait for the response to reach them.
In a step toward increased participant interaction, chat rooms were created. A typical chat room allows participants to type messages, which are received by other participants nearly instantaneously. Although the quickness of this response increases the amount of participant interaction over email, a chat room does not approach the interaction available when using common a device as simple as an ordinary telephone.
A further step toward increased participant interaction is video chat. Prior Art FIG. 1 is an illustration showing a typical computer system 10 suitable for video chat. The system includes a computer processor 12, a monitor 14, a microphone 16, and a camera 18. A user 20 is typically situated in front of the computer system 10. As the user 20 speaks, the microphone 16 detects the user""s voice and transmits the sound to the computer processor 12, typically in the form of a digital signal. Simultaneously, the camera 18 transmits video images of the user 20 to the computer processor 12.
The video and audio signals are then transmitted, typically in compressed form, to a recipient""s computer, where they are decompressed and viewed/heard. In this manner, two users of the Internet, or any other network, can communicate with one another in a highly interactive environment, wherein each user can both see and hear the person they are communicating with. However, there are problems with conventional video chat.
One problem is the extreme amount of bandwidth required to use video chat effectively. Streaming video, utilized by video chat, uses an extreme amount of bandwidth. Increased bandwidth is required for clearer and smoother video images. Moreover, since the requirement on bandwidth is so high, a typical home computer system generally cannot handle more than a two-way video chat session. Each additional video chat participant greatly increases the amount of required bandwidth. Thus, having more than two video chat participants using typical home computer systems generally drains system resources such that the systems are unable to perform desirably.
Another problem with video chat is the loss of anonymity among participants. Using email, or non-video chat, participants are able to remain more or less anonymous, since participants cannot actually see each other. Video chat, on the other hand, allows participants to visually identify one another. This may cause problems, especially with children, when strangers are essentially allowed to xe2x80x9clookxe2x80x9d into the homes of other users.
In view of the forgoing, what is needed are improved methods and systems for providing video chat at a reduced bandwidth, thus allowing multiple participants on a typical home computer system. Further, there is a need for methods and systems for allowing anonymity during video chat, thus allowing users to enjoy the highly interactive nature of video chat without being visually identified by strangers.
The present invention addresses these needs by providing an improved visual chat method. In one embodiment, a character image is read into memory representing a character a user wishes to be for the duration of the visual chat. Continuous frames of video images are then received, typically using a video camera, which include image data of a person. The head image of the person is then tracked by the system, and portions of the head image are extracted from the video images. These extracted portions are preferably features of the person in the video image. Finally, the extracted portions of the head image are blended into corresponding areas of the character image, such that the features of the blended character image match the features of the person, and change as the features of the person change.
In another embodiment, a computer system is disclosed for providing visual chat. The system includes a computer processor, memory for storing character images, a camera, and logic for performing visual chat operations. In use, the camera transmits video images of a person to the computer processor. Thereafter, the logic performs visual chat operations including tracking a head portion of a person, obtaining a portion of the person image from the head portion, and blending the obtained portion of the head image into the character image.
A computer program for providing visual chat is disclosed in yet another embodiment of the present invention. The computer program includes a character input code segment that reads a character image into memory representing a character a person wishes to be for the duration of the visual chat, and a video code segment that receives video images of the person. The computer program also includes a tracking code segment that tracks a head portion of the person, after which a gathering code segment obtains portions of the head portion from the person""s image. These extracted portions are preferably features of the person in the video image. Finally, the extracted portions of the head image are blended into corresponding areas of the character image by a blending code segment. Preferably, the blending is performed such that the features of the blended character image match the features of the person, and change as the features of the person change.
Advantageously, the present invention allows users to be other xe2x80x9ccharactersxe2x80x9d for the duration of the video chat session. Moreover, the character obtains the same features as the user, in a manner similar to the look achieved by having a makeup artist, using prosthetics and makeup, disguise the user as the character. The character actually xe2x80x9clooksxe2x80x9d like the user might xe2x80x9clookxe2x80x9d if the user actually was the character, i.e., the blended character has essentially the same features as the user, and blinks and smiles as the user does. Moreover, the present invention allows visual chat at a reduced bandwidth, thus allowing many individuals to participate in the same video chat session.